Seed treatments are widely used in agriculture. Often they are relied upon to impart pest resistance properties to the seed or resulting plant: application of pesticidal compounds to a seed can reduce damage to the seed during storage, germination, when planted, and also protect the emerging plant from pests. This can help achieve uniform stand establishment which not only has the benefit of protecting an investment in seeds themselves, but also maximises plant performance per unit land.
Some seed treatments have less of a preventative effect and instead enhance performance of the plants or crops. One example is treatment with inoculants of Rhizobiaceae which can increase the nitrogen uptake of legumes. This can result in consistent performance during unfavourable conditions, or improved performance during standard conditions. Methods of increasing plant productivity are also discussed in WO 08/37489.
Some seed treatments incorporate preventative treatments and enhancements. WO 05/62899 describes a combination treatment having a fungicide and/or insecticide in combination with one or more plant inducers and an optional innoculant.
Because of the tangible benefits which can be achieved by treating seeds, formulation methods and materials have developed to provide properties such as improved adherence, reduced dust-off, delayed release, improved plantability and the like. Methods and devices for treating seeds have also evolved and at present a wide range of options are available for preparing commercial quantities of treated seeds.
But despite advances in the field, there remains a need to provide new and innovative seed treatment solutions to achieve optimum plant potential.